Chevy Malibu 47mpg hybrid arrives Spring 2016

[djc]

Hybrid chevy Malibu arrives Spring 2016 for $28,645 and up.

 

Car has clean conservative lines compared to 2016 Prius.

Familiar specs - 1.8 liter gas engine coupled to motor and generator and 1.5kwh battery.
EPA estimates:  48 city, 45 hwy, and 47 mpg combined.  That last number sounds vaguely famliar too.

3457 lbs (Cmax is 3600).  183 hp.  0-60 circa 10 seconds - Prius time.

The Malibu weighs about the same as the Chevy Volt, but is bigger with a bigger engine that runs more often, so it is a bit of a mystery how the Malibu gets better mileage in hybrid mode.

Explanation according to:  http://www.hybridcars.com/why-the-2016-chevy-malibu-hybrid-gets-better-mpg-than-the-2016-chevy-volt/

Malibu adds Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery (EGHR) to warm the engine faster as well as the cabin (similar to 2016 Prius (and 1962 VW beetle?), but not found in the Volt or Ford hybrids).  EGHR saves an estimated 2 mpg.  Malibu's rare earth permanent magnet motors reduce losses and add another 2 mpg compared to Volt's cheaper ferrous motor, and finally tuning adds 1 mpg.
 

[cmax-nynj]

Let me share with you how I warm my engine faster without any add-ons.  I have 2-3 miles of very slow roads before getting onto the hwy.  After a cold-start, I put my car in "L" and drive away(slowly), engine warms faster and my MPG increases by about 2-3 for the whole trip.  The heat also comes on faster this way.  However, this method won't work if your need to drive at high speed right after a cold start otherwise the rev is too high.  I got 50MPG this morning driving 40miles.

[scottwood2]

Hybrid chevy Malibu arrives Spring 2016 for $28,645 and up.

 

Car has clean conservative lines compared to 2016 Prius.

Familiar specs - 1.8 liter gas engine coupled to motor and generator and 1.5kwh battery.

EPA estimates:  48 city, 45 hwy, and 47 mpg combined.  That last number sounds vaguely famliar too.

 

3457 lbs (Cmax is 3600).  183 hp.  0-60 circa 10 seconds - Prius time.

 

The Malibu weighs about the same as the Chevy Volt, but is bigger with a bigger engine that runs more often, so it is a bit of a mystery how the Malibu gets better mileage in hybrid mode.

 

Explanation according to:  http://www.hybridcars.com/why-the-2016-chevy-malibu-hybrid-gets-better-mpg-than-the-2016-chevy-volt/

 

Malibu adds Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery (EGHR) to warm the engine faster as well as the cabin (similar to 2016 Prius (and 1962 VW beetle?), but not found in the Volt or Ford hybrids).  EGHR saves an estimated 2 mpg.  Malibu's rare earth permanent magnet motors reduce losses and add another 2 mpg compared to Volt's cheaper ferrous motor, and finally tuning adds 1 mpg.

 

Is this compared to the gen 1 Volt?  I thought the Malibu was using the gen 2 Volt drive train?

 

EDIT Missed the link in the post.  This answered my question.  Sorry about that.  

Edited December 14, 2015 by scottwood2

[obob]

The 2016 malibu without the hybrid has high epa numbers.

 

( Looking at Consumer Reports 2015 numbers, expects a big hit in the city mileage numbers, highway pretty close.   Expect a big hit in headroom, 7[C-Max] vs 3.5 inches)

 

 

 

Fuel Economy of 2016 Chevrolet Malibu   EPA MPG MODEL   City Comb Hwy

 

2016 Chevrolet Malibu Limited 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (S6), Regular Gasoline

24

City

27

Combined

34

Highway

 

 

2016 Chevrolet Malibu 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Automatic (S8), Regular Gasoline 

22

City

26

Combined

33

Highway

 

2016 Chevrolet Malibu 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic 6-spd, Regular Gasoline

27

City

31

Combined

37

Highway

 

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2016_Chevrolet_Malibu.shtml

Edited December 14, 2015 by obob